Creating through painting has always been a part of my life, and a very valuable coping strategy for as long as I can remember. Since studying art therapy, I have become more and more aware of its value from a clinical standpoint. I took a year off from graduate school in art therapy, to get hands-on experience in the field. I wanted to test what I had learned thus far, plus I wanted to try to make a dent in the financial debt I had accrued.
Being around patients who have continued challenges, for which I am trying to soften through facilitating art sessions, comes with residual personal challenges. Since creating is an integral part of my life, I cope by painting. The above painting is the most recent expression of my unconscious world. I felt better when I was done, and I intuitively knew when I was done. But the relief was fleeting, leaving me with more self-analysis, and very few answers. I had a visceral sense of what I was processing, but not really. I then saw a profile of a face, that I enhanced on the right.
If all art is a self-portrait, a mirror as Bruce Moon so aptly puts it, then there I am clear as day. I’m looking away it seems, or looking toward something. Because there is such a pointed jagged image seemly piercing the back of my neck I should maybe consider this a bit more seriously. I consider the ETC, and see that yes, I got some relief from the kinesthetic and sensory expression while creating. Symbolically, there’s a bulls eye. The page is almost split right in half. The right side seems to represent a window with the blinds closed, and the bulls eye a need to peer in, or a need to contain it in the past. I don’t know. My question is; is it necessary to know? Do I need to understand the full potential of this painting, to transcend the message my soul is trying to convey? Can I truly be discerning without the guidance of another?
I looked for answers through research. I inquired through Research Gate. YES! I may have some answers. The first was a shared article by Dr. Martyn Queen of the University of Gloucestershire. Art Lift, Gloucestershire (Project Extension) Evaluation Report by Colin Baker, Lindsey Kilgour and Frances Clark Stone. Art Lift is a program where health professionals refer patients for this 10-week art program, usually delivered in a primary care setting. I have taken the National Center for Creativity in Aging Artist training, and am familiar with programs created by artists in various parts of the US. This particular report evaluates the efficacy of such a program. The type of programming offers artist facilitators conducting their sessions at the facility. The report states that after 10 weeks of Art Lift, a key benefit included well being (enjoyment, new interest, improved confidence, distraction, therapeutic value). Many of the people who completed the 10 weeks, asked for another 10 weeks or more. These participants were recruited to participate in the study. The findings of this qualitative and quantitative report shows 4 key themes: Breaking the Cycle (of being defined by their condition), Sense of Control, Making Strides (acquiring meaningful skills) and Reconnecting.
I was reminded of Albert Bandura, when on my search for studies on the efficacy of self-care in artists/art therapists. Since I’m not in the social science field, my studies haven’t taken me much past the "Bobo doll” experiment, but was happy to discover resources on self-efficacy. What I discovered is that I was really questioning was my own self-efficacy. Isn’t that what the study was showing? Art creation was enhancing the realization of the participant’s ability for self-efficacy. In a way it was awakening and reminding them of what they had all along. In chapter 14 of Self-Efficacy for Adolescents, Bandura gives many examples of creating your own self-efficacy scales. This is something I intend to create for myself, in terms of my own self-care, and worth further investigation.
Check out this video of "Arts Prescribed" through HammondCare in Australia HammondCare "Arts Prescribed" in Australia
References
Baker, C., Crone, D., Clark-Stone, F. & Kilgour, L. (2013). Art Lift (Extension), Gloucestershire: Evaluation Report. University of Gloucestershire, U.K.
Bandura, A. (2006). Guide for Constructing Self-Efficacy Scales. In Self-efficacy beliefs of adolescents (pp. 307-337). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Hinz, L. (2009). Expressive therapies continuum: A framework for using art in therapy. New York, NY: Routledge.
Moon, B. L. (1995). Existential art therapy: The canvas mirror. Springfield, IL, U.S.A.: C.C. Thomas.
